Love them or hate them, the Healy Raes have become the best-known political dynasty in rural Ireland.

From trying to relax drink-driving laws, backroom deals with Fianna Fail and phone voting scandals, they are never far from the public eye.

And now the family are inviting more public scrutiny as they let TV3 cameras document their daily lives in their picturesque South Kerry constituency.

Michael Healy Rae TD said Monday’s show is an accurate account of his relatives’ personal and public lives.

After viewing At Home With the Healy Raes, he said: “I hope people will appreciate it for the honest impression that it is.

“We’re nothing special, absolutely nothing. We’re the representative of rural politicians and urban politicians throughout the length and breadth of the country.

“We are ourselves all the time, we don’t make ourselves out to be anything that we’re not .

“We just come from very ordinary beginnings, our jobs before we were politicians are very ordinary jobs. Primarily we’re machine drivers, I’ve a shop. We’re also publicans and farmers.”

Michael may insist the Healy Raes are average folk but the documentary tells a different story.

Very few families in Ireland can boast to have been in politics for four decades across three generations.

Michael may be the only one to currently serve in the Dail but his dad Jackie is a former TD and his brother Danny is a member of Kerry County Council as is Danny’s son Johnny.

Their names can be found on buildings across their hometown of Kilgarvan and Michael’s house can only be accessed through gates adorned with the family name.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Michael is adamant there is no such thing as the Healy Rae dynasty.

He explained: “I don’t like the word dynasty because we are entitled to nothing – we earn it, we work for it and that’s it.”

The Healy Raes (Image: TV3)

The programme will reveal their gruelling schedule as documentary maker Ciara Doherty had to be up before 6am every day to keep up with Michael’s appointments.

And he would rarely get home before 11pm or midnight.

Michael’s lifestyle is taking its toll on his appearance and he jokingly told the Irish Mirror that every electoral campaign “he melts away”.

Michael said: “I was down to 8st 7lb on one of my father’s campaigns and I was 9st 7lb on my last one.”

With two relatives – Danny and Johnny - vying for seats in next year’s local elections, the pressure is on.

And Michael’s recent driving-and-writing scandal does not make matters any easier for the Healy Raes.

TV3 cameras will reveal Michael’s shock as he reads an article about himself trying to scribble down a phone number as he is at the wheel. For the first time in the hour-long programme, the politician is left speechless before quickly turning angry.

He told The Irish Mirror that his reaction was to be expected.

Michael said: “The week they had made out [Social Protection Minister] Joan Burton to be wonder woman – a newspaper had that headline – [and] in another paper, you have, ‘Healy Rae steers into controversy’. Why did I steer into controversy? Because I wrote down a bloody telephone number on a notebook?

“Like I could be drinking a can of coke or eating a bar of chocolate and it would be the same offence but they made out, ‘Oh you were awful, you were writing down somebody’s telephone number’. Rubbish.”

Michael is not the only Healy Rae to have been linked to political scandals.In the show his father Jackie discloses his final deal with the late Brian Lenihan.

The former Finance Minister had needed Jackie’s vote to pass a contested austerity Budget in December 2010 – and it came at a price.

Jackie explained: “We went into Lenihan and he said, ‘Jackie, we’ll sort out your side of it today, what will it have to be?’.

“I said, ‘It will have to be one million’ [for roads] yea, [down here] yea. Lenihan gave me the million – there was no problem in the world.”

With these type of revelations and the Healy Raes’ colourful personalities, it is no surprise TV3 is already considering to film another “At Home" instalment.

It will possibly involve other political figures from the Dail.

It is claimed the Healy Raes took part in this fly-on-the wall documentary because they believe it can do them no harm.

Michael said: “I always say to the politicians and people in the media who condemn us and who try to make little out of us, ‘Come away with us for a couple of days, see what you think about that’.”